School truancy: Kids explain why they skip school

A lot has been said about the state of schooling in New Zealand as our truancy rates worsen. Both National and Act campaigned on prosecutions and fines for parents of chronic absentees. The Government has now announced an action plan to address what it calls a target="_blank">“truancy crisis”. But why do kids choose to skip school? Reporter Jaime Lyth asked the students to speak for themselves.

Figures released in December showed only 46 per cent of school pupils attended school more than 90 per cent of the time in Term 3 - down from 63 per cent in the third term of 2019, before Covid-19.

Chronic absenteeism - attending less than 70 per cent of the time - was also still high at 12.6 per cent, up from 7-8 per cent in earlier years.

Walk around Newmarket Westfield Mall and the New Lynn bus exchange during school hours, and you can see it.

A group of girls from a grammar school were chatting outside the mall when the Herald visited, wearing blazers with badges of achievements and leadership roles.

They said they didn’t want to talk to the Herald because they were supposed to be in school.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Associate Education Minister David Seymour speaking to students during their visit to Cardinal McKeefry School in Wellington, before announcing the Government’s crackdown on truancy. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Why I wag

A 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy sipping soft drinks in an Auckland McDonald’s admitted they skip school sometimes.

“School’s boring - we don’t really do anything interesting,” the boy said.

Both kids’ eyes glazed over as they described the monotony of it for them.

“I think a lot of teachers hate me,” the 13-year-old said, jiggling her knee up and down while looking at the ground.

Skipping school is a social activity they plan sometimes with their friend groups, but they describe it more as avoidance than an adventure.

“Usually me and my friends just play games,” he said.

He added that some of his friends skipped school to work - either to save money or to help support their families.

A group of uniformed boys in New Lynn said some of their teachers were the main reason they didn’t want to go to school.

“Sometimes I walk into class and I just get told to get out.

“They don’t like me.”

“Their way of teaching is harsh.

“Teachers... they’re racist.

“My maths teacher’s a bit racist.”

Research by the Education Review Office (ERO) found one in five “ethnic” students in Aotearoa faces “racist bullying” at school.

A report last year examining the health and well being of Māori young people shed light on the significant impact of racism on the decision of rangatahi to leave school prematurely.

One grammar boy promised he was on study leave and not skipping school, but said he knows “heaps” of kids who do avoid school.

“It’s mostly because they’re too tired, you know.”

He said attendance would rise if school started later in the morning, and he’s probably right.

International research shows clear benefits to letting teens sleep longer in the morning, but few schools in New Zealand have chosen to change their hours.

About half of New Zealand teens do not get enough sleep or get poor-quality sleep, which is linked with poorer mental health, attendance rates and academic performance.

Just seeing the ‘tip of the iceberg’

The increase in absenteeism has been a worldwide phenomenon after the Covid-19 pandemic. Students have failed to return to school after extended periods of learning from home.

Counsellor Anna Richards and Massey University lecturer Kayleen Clark-Howard published a study on truancy last year, What are the reasons for absenteeism in secondary education in New Zealand/Aotearoa? A systematic review of the qualitative literature using student voice research.

“Politicians and adults make a lot of assumptions about the reasons why students are absent from school. But if you really want to find out why students are absent from school, it makes sense to ask them.

“I’m a school guidance counsellor and I frequently discuss with students the reasons why they are absent from school and I’ve found those reasons are complex and diverse,” Richards said.

Their review identified that the teacher/student relationship is the most critical factor in student absenteeism.

“The first was poor relationships with teachers, second was powerlessness and lack of autonomy at school, third was having no friends or feelings of exclusion or alienation. Factors associated with poverty played a role,” Richards said.

The pair said school staff nurturing supportive relationships with students would reduce absenteeism.

Richards and Clark-Howard are clear they don’t blame teachers for student absenteeism - they want to see more support for teachers so they can handle students better.

“Professional development of teachers is tough, [it’s often held] in the afternoon when teachers are exhausted after a full day, we need to really rethink both how we teach the teachers in Training College, and also how we are training and supporting them in the workplace,” Clark-Howard said.

Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news.